Grow Deep: Anchored Hope Edition

Anchored Hope Edition

"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, sure and secure." Hebrews 6:19

Our journey through this edition of Grow Deep, Anchored Hope, begins with Holy Week, the "anchor week" of the Christian faith. Every day is anchored in Christ's sacrifice for our sins and resurrection victory for our eternal lives. There is a "hidden glory" in the face of Jesus! To meditate on the journey of Christ is to see ourselves in the mirror of His face. The Scriptures this week from the Gospel of John follow Jesus through His suffering and death. There are infinite mysteries to explore in these readings, but what we will see is the face of Jesus: the face of blessing; the face of a Savior; the face of a Servant; the face of the Father; the face that extends love and mercy, even in the midst of betrayal; the face that compels us to see our own culpability for every bruise and bloody gash that bludgeoned His face. The selected readings for this series and the questions that follow are designed for deep, penetrating, soul-searching reflection. Don’t miss this opportunity to find anchored hope in Jesus.

The second leg of our journey begins on Easter. Jesus’ resurrection provides the foundation for anchored hope and for our Christian faith. Last week we journeyed with Jesus to His death on the cross. But the Good News of this week is that the grave could not hold Him! He arose! And in His rising, our eternal hope and salvation were secured. The resurrection is God’s proof that the future is made secure in Jesus. While the hopes of this world can disappoint us, hope in Jesus is sure. In this week’s readings, we will dig deeply into God’s truth as we reflect on anchored hope that will never disappoint!

The third leg of our journey takes us through times of uncertainty and doubt to the place of anchored hope. Uncertainty, confusion, doubt and fear are probably all-too-familiar emotions for many of us. Even the disciples were filled with fear even after they encountered Jesus face-to-face following His resurrection. But when Jesus appeared among them a week later and breathed His Holy Spirit on them, things changed. After seeing the risen Christ, the same disciples who hid in fear became bold witnesses filled with hope that was anchored in Jesus. The Scriptures this week provide for a daily encounter with the risen Christ that will lead us to the hope that anchors in times that are uncertain or fearful for us, too.

Our final leg of the journey takes us to anchored hope that keeps us steady in times of our greatest suffering and deepest loss and grief. It has been said that of all the fears that plague mankind, the fear of death is the greatest. We not only experience a fear of death, we also have fears about how we die. We don’t want to suffer; we don’t want to be alone. We want to choose when and how we die and when and how our loved ones die. Like the light from a lighthouse on a stormy sea ... hope assures us of God's presence; it assures us that we are secure in His grip. We will discover the “anchored hope” that promises an eternal future as we read and reflect on His Word during the final week of this edition.

Don’t let busyness or “spring fever” keep you from spending time journeying through anchored hope with Jesus.

Grow Deep with Jesus!Adult Ministry Team

Many thanks to our writers who have shared their own insights and hope with us in this edition: Week 1, Jenny Morrison; Week 2, Ron Nelson; Week 3, Barb Guiley; Week 4, Chris Clausen.